Author: Official Release

  • Toyota Gazoo Racing North America NHRA Seattle Post-Race Report – 07.21.24

    Toyota Gazoo Racing North America NHRA Seattle Post-Race Report – 07.21.24

    TORRENCE CLAIMS BACK-TO-BACK NORTHWEST NATIONALS VICTORIES
    Toyota now has 11 Top Fuel wins in the last 12 NHRA events

    KENT, Wash. (July 21, 2024) – For the second year in a row, Steve Torrence captured the Wally Trophy at Pacific Raceways and the NHRA Northwest Nationals as the day concluded Sunday afternoon. This is Torrence’s first victory of the 2024 season, his first win since this race a season ago, and the 55th of his career which puts him equal with Doug Kalitta in fourth on the all-time Top Fuel wins list. Torrence’s triumph is the 11th win in the last 12 Top Fuel events for Toyota.

    Torrence had to defeat Toyota teammate, Shawn Langdon, in the finals, who made his fifth final round of the season. With the finals appearances by Torrence and Langdon, Toyota has now reached the final round in 34 consecutive NHRA events in either Top Fuel and/or Funny Car.

    After Sunday’s action, Toyota still owns the top-five positions in the Top Fuel points standings, with Doug Kalitta now leading teammate, Langdon, heading to Sonoma next weekend.

    In Funny Car, J.R Todd advanced to the semifinals for the seventh time in 2024 but fell to Austin Prock by 0.037 seconds in the penultimate round. In round one, Ron Capps suffered an engine explosion and made contact with the wall before coming to a stop. Capps was alert, exited the car under his own power and was examined by the NHRA Medical Team before being released.

    NHRA is right back in action next weekend at Sonoma Raceway for the twelfth event of the 2024 season.

    Toyota Post-Race Recap
    NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series
    NHRA Northwest Nationals
    Pacific Raceways
    Race 11 of 20

    TOYOTA TOP FUEL FINISHING POSITIONS 

    NameCarFinal ResultRound-by-Round
    Steve TorrenceCAPCO Contractors Toyota Top Fuel DragsterWinnerW (3.749) v. R. Smith (4.347) Bye W (3.736) v. D. Kalitta (3.972) W (3.963) v. S. Langdon (4.171)
    Shawn LangdonKalitta Air Careers Toyota Top Fuel DragsterFinalistW (3.743) v. J. Ashley (4.685) W (3.721) v. J. Hart (3.779) W (3.771 – holeshot) v. C. Millican (3.737) W/L (4.171) v. S. Torrence (3.963)
    Doug KalittaMac Tools Toyota Top Fuel DragsterSemi-finalsW (3.670) v. B. Torrence (3.706) W (3.729) v. J. Salinas (3.738) L (3.972) v. S. Torrence (3.736)
    Billy TorrenceCAPCO Contractors Toyota Top Fuel DragsterFirst RoundL (3.706) v. D. Kalitta (3.670)
    Antron BrownMatco Tools Toyota Top Fuel DragsterFirst RoundL (3.745) v. J. Hart (3.742)
    Justin AshleySCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel DragsterFirst RoundL (4.685) v. S. Langdon (3.743)

    TOYOTA FUNNY CAR FINISHING POSITIONS 

    NameCarFinal ResultRound-by-Round
    J.R. ToddDHL Toyota GR Supra Funny CarSemi-finalsW (3.930) v. B. Hull (4.243) W (3.867) v. B. Tasca III (3.915) L (3.921) v. A. Prock (3.884)
    Alexis DeJoriaBandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny CarFirst RoundL (9.113) v. B. Alexander (6.258)
    Ron CappsNAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra Funny CarFirst RoundL (5.276) v. G. Densham (4.974)

    *= Non-Toyota driver

    TOYOTA QUOTES

    STEVE TORRENCE, CAPCO Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Torrence Racing

    TF Final Result: Winner

    Talk about that final round and what this win means.

    “Man, I tell you what, you take these things for granted when you get them pretty often. We’re taking this one home to my new baby girl. My wife (Natalie)’s birthday. It’s been a while. Heck, I’m out of breath and didn’t do nothing but hit the gas like three times. Shawn Langdon, Kalitta Air. Those guys have been bad-to-the-bone. I told you earlier, I was trying to take him out all day. But these CAPCO boys, Toyota, Mac Tools. We don’t have a lot of partners, but the ones we do, we think highly of and they’re the best. This is pretty cool man. One year to the day. Wasn’t sure if we were going to win one of these for a while. Richard Hogan (crew chief), Bobby (Lagana Jr., assistant crew chief). Sometimes us Torrences are hard to deal with, but them guys handle us pretty good. Thank you, guys. And all those guys from CAPCO back at home that are keeping us out here, we appreciate y’all.”

    J.R. TODD, DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Kalitta Motorsports

    FC Final Result: Semifinals

    Can you overview your day and your outlook for Sonoma?

    “Pretty good. The car went down the track every run and we made some really good, quick runs and it was pretty consistent all weekend. Just dropped a cylinder, we’ve been dropping cylinders all weekend so if we fix that up, I think we have a really good chance of competing for a win in Sonoma.”

    Going to Sonoma as the event winner, what’s that going to be like for next weekend?

    “Yeah, it’s one of my favorite tracks. We’ve had a lot of success there in the past, so it’s nice to be going back to a track that we’ve won at in the past and hopefully we can compete.”

    RON CAPPS, NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Ron Capps Motorsports

    FC Final Result: First Round

    Take us through that accident and how you’re feeling.

    “Yeah, I’m fine. Just such a bummer. First and foremost, Guido (Dean Antonelli, crew chief) and our NAPA Auto Care guys work so hard on the safety aspect. And I know John Force is watching and he’s a big reason for a lot of the safety reasons on the car. It beat my head around pretty good. But obviously, I’m fine. Just bummed as a team owner. We run a good Toyota Supra body and unfortunately, lost that round and we were really looking forward to vying for a win here. But we’re well-prepared. Best parts in the world. Best people in the world. I was staging the car, and it had some sprinkles on the windshield. None that I was worried about, but I knew Guido was trying to put in a decent run to give us lane choice in the next round and it’s my fault for over-abusing it. I’m pretty decent at pedaling these cars. Just seeing Gary Densham out the window, I don’t think I waited long enough like I normally do to keep it rolling a nitro engine like this. We’ll be good. We’ll head to Sonoma. The backup car we had upstairs (in the hauler) is a car that won a lot of races for us the last couple years, so again, Guido and the guys are as prepared as any team out here, if not more so. We’re already ready to run. All good.”

    About Toyota

    Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships. 

    Toyota directly employs more than 49,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 34 million cars and trucks at our nine manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 10th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 28 electrified options.

    Through its Driving Possibilities initiative, the Toyota USA Foundation has committed to creating innovative educational programs within, and in partnership with, historically underserved and diverse communities near the company’s U.S. operating sites.

    For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

  • Rick Ware Racing: The Brickyard 400 from Indianapolis

    Rick Ware Racing: The Brickyard 400 from Indianapolis

    RICK WARE RACING
    The Brickyard 400
    Date: July 21, 2024
    Event: Brickyard 400 (Round 22 of 36)
    Series: NASCAR Cup Series
    Location: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2.5-mile rectangular oval)
    Format: 160 laps, broken into three stages 50 laps/50 laps/60 laps)

    Note: Race extended seven laps past its scheduled 160-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.

    Race Winner: Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
    Stage 1 Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
    Stage 2 Winner: Bubba Wallace of 23XI Racing (Toyota)

    RWR Race Finish:

    ● Cody Ware (Started 35th, Finished 18th / Running, completed 167 of 167 laps)
    ● Justin Haley (Started 34th, Finished 20th / Running, completed 167 of 167 laps)

    RWR Points:

    ● Justin Haley (29th with 319 points)

    ● Cody Ware (36th with 47 points)

    Ware Notes:

    ● This was Ware’s first career Brickyard 400.

    ● This was Ware’s best finish so far this year. His previous best was 24th, earned in April at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

    ● Ware’s 18th-place finish was the best result for RWR at Indianapolis. The previous best was a 21st-place result, earned by J.J. Yeley in 2020.

    Haley Notes:

    ● Haley, a native of Winamac, Indiana, earned his ninth top-20 of the season in his first career Brickyard 400.

    ● Haley’s 20th-place finish also bettered RWR’s previous best finish at Indianapolis.

    Race Notes:

    ● Kyle Larson won the Brickyard 400 to score his 27th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his fourth of the season and his first at Indianapolis. The race ended under caution with Tyler Reddick finishing second.

    ● There were 10 caution periods for a total of 34 laps.

    ● Only 24 of the 39 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

    ● Kyle Larson leaves Indianapolis as the new championship leader with a 10-point advantage over second-place Chase Elliott.

    Sound Bites:

    “I’m super happy with how the day ended. To come back from a left-rear flat and going two laps down, to fight our way back to 18th through the late race chaos was a good fight by everyone on the team. We stayed focused and executed all day. I’m happy with the result, especially getting to race at Indy in a crown jewel race like the Brickyard 400 and put our bad luck from Pocono behind us.” – Cody Ware, driver of the No. 15 AFT Peoria TT Ford Mustang Dark Horse

    “I’m happy with the progress we made over the weekend. I felt like we had a good shot at a top-15. We started off really struggling with passing, it would just get so tight, but we finally got it to a good place. Then a slow stop put us behind and all the cautions at the end made it tough to make up that track position. The two weeks off should be a good chance to reset and get back to consistent top-15 and top-20 finishes.”– Justin Haley, driver of the No. 51 Fraternal Order of Eagles Ford Mustang Dark Horse

    Next Up:

    The NASCAR Cup Series gets a two-week respite before returning to action Aug. 11 for the Cook Out 400 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway. The race begins at 6 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by USA and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

  • Stewart-Haas Racing: Brickyard 400 from Indianapolis

    Stewart-Haas Racing: Brickyard 400 from Indianapolis

    STEWART-HAAS RACING
    Brickyard 400
    Date: July 21, 2024
    Event: Brickyard 400 (Round 22 of 36)
    Series: NASCAR Cup Series
    Location: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2.5-mile rectangular oval)
    Format: 160 laps, broken into three stages (50 laps/50 laps/60 laps)

    Note: Race extended seven laps past its scheduled 160-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.

    Race Winner: Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
    Stage 1 Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
    Stage 2 Winner: Bubba Wallace of 23XI Racing (Toyota)

    SHR Finish:

    ● Noah Gragson (Started 21st, Finished 9th / Running, completed 167 of 167 laps)
    ● Chase Briscoe (Started 20th, Finished 24th / Running, completed 167 of 167 laps)
    ● Ryan Preece (Started 31st, Finished 26th / Accident, completed 165 of 167 laps)
    ● Josh Berry (Started 37th, Finished 35th / Accident, completed 104 of 167 laps)

    SHR Points:

    ● Chase Briscoe (16th with 469 points, 280 out of first)

    ● Josh Berry (22nd with 388 points, 361 out of first)

    ● Noah Gragson (23rd with 383 points, 366 out of first)

    ● Ryan Preece (26th with 329 points, 420 out of first)

    SHR Notes:

    ● Gragson earned his seventh top-10 of the season and it came in his first career Brickyard 400.

    ● Gragson finished 10th in Stage 1 to earn one bonus point.

    ● Gragson led once for three laps.

    ● Briscoe finished 10th in Stage 2 to earn one bonus point.

    ● This was a home race for Briscoe as he grew up in nearby Mitchell, Indiana.

    Race Notes:

    ● Kyle Larson won the Brickyard 400 to score his 27th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his fourth of the season and his first at Indianapolis. The race ended under caution with Tyler Reddick finishing second.

    ● There were 10 caution periods for a total of 34 laps.

    ● Only 24 of the 39 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

    ● Larson remains the championship leader after Indianapolis with a 10-point advantage over second-place Chase Elliott.

    Sound Bites:

    “We struggled at the beginning part of the weekend, but definitely grateful to come back to Indy. I don’t know officially where we’d be with those guys running out of gas off of turn four, but we had plenty of fuel. Drew Blickensderfer (crew chief) called a great race and it’s always fun to have Bass Pro Shops on the hood. We struggled on Friday in practice and got a little better in qualifying. We qualified 21st and we just made progress all day. We got a stage point in Stage 1. Strategy, you never know when the caution is going to come out, but Drew made some great calls. I had more gas than the rest of them there and for a second I thought it was going to be Nashville 2.0 with a bunch of restarts, but we were able to hang on and come out of here unscathed.” – Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 10 Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Ford Mustang Dark Horse

    “It was kind of a rough weekend for us from a speed standpoint. We were never really that good or that great. Made our car quite a bit better, but we still were never good enough to win, but we got it up in the mix. I was able to get it up there in the top-five for a little bit. Strategy just didn’t go our way. We pitted to prevent what happened at Nashville, and then obviously got to where we got in a wreck. It was disappointing. We were kind of up and down all day and thought we were going to be in good position if the cautions kept coming out to be in the mix there in the top-five, but obviously we got caught up in that big wreck. It’s kind of part of the deal at the end of these races. Anytime you have a caution with less than 10 to go, it all turns into chaos and we all start doing stupid stuff. That’s certainly what happened there. Everybody was in a really weird fuel situation there and we kind of hedged our bets hoping there would be more cautions, and then the wreck got us. Frustrating, for sure. Our car was definitely better than where we finished, but we’ll be back. Wish our results could’ve been a bit better, but everything that kind of could go wrong went wrong for us at the end. It’s cool to be back on the oval, the history of it. Hopefully, we can do it again next year. Every time I come here, I feel the love from the Hoosier State. It’s always nice to be back home and appreciated. I wish we could’ve had a better result for them, but I definitely feel the love and that’s my favorite part about coming home.” – Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

    “We just got caught in a tough spot there at the end of the race. We decided to stay out and risk it on fuel and it just didn’t work in our favor today.” – Ryan Preece, driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

    “It looked like when I was riding back there, I guess the 19 (Martin Truex Jr.) got spun out or something, we were all just stacking and I think I just got clipped from behind and turned into the wall. It’s an unfortunate end. It’s been a tough weekend. Honestly, today our car was really competitive. I was actually really happy with the car. We obviously started in the back and never could get the track position. I had a tough day on pit road, too. Every time we’d get top-20, we’d get knocked back. Honestly, I had a good experience today, really. We passed cars and had a good balance throughout the race. I really was pretty happy with it. We just needed something to just go our way, strategy-wise, to get up front. All in all, the guys did a great job. I put us in a hole in qualifying, but the car was pretty solid today. We’ve got some things to clean up, but we’ll go get ’em next time.” – Josh Berry, driver of the No. 4 Panini/Caitlin Clark Ford Mustang Dark Horse

    Next Up:

    The NASCAR Cup Series gets a two-week respite before returning to action Aug. 11 for the Cook Out 400 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway. The race begins at 6 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by USA and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

  • Kaulig Racing Race Recap | Brickyard 400

    Kaulig Racing Race Recap | Brickyard 400

    DANIEL HEMRIC
    No. 31 Cirkul Camaro ZL1

    • Daniel Hemric qualified 32nd for the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
    • Hemric dropped multiple spots at the start of the opening 50-lap stage, radioing that the No. 31 Cirkul Chevrolet was free handling. On lap 33, crew chief Trent Owens made the call to pit for two tires, in order to gain back some track position. Hemric went on to finish 23rd in the first stage.
    • During the first stage break, Hemric pitted for four tires and fuel, before starting the second stage from 29th place. The first non-stage caution came out on lap 70, and Hemric pitted once again for right-side tires. After restarting 28th, Hemric narrowly avoided a crash and pitted under caution for left-side tires. He restarted 29th with 22 laps remaining in the stage and finished in the same position.
    • Hemric pitted during the second stage break for four tires with the intention of only taking two under green during the final stage. The next two cautions came out on the restarts, and Hemric stayed out during both. Hemric restarted 10th with 46 laps remaining. When the next caution came out on lap 126, Hemric had made it to fifth and stayed out under caution, before restarting on the outside of the front row with 31 laps remaining. Falling to fourth, Hemric raced back to the third position, holding the No. 5 car off, until he was forced to pit for fuel with eight laps remaining. An overtime-inducing caution happened with three laps remaining, as Hemric sat 20th for the first attempt. On the restart, Hemric was collected in a wreck, ending his day early. He was scored 30th.
    • “It was a chaotic restart, as some guys were running out of fuel. The No. 42 checked up, and unfortunately I had nowhere to go but into the back of him. We had a tough day but got to run up front and show some speed, so I’m proud of the gains we made as a team.” – Daniel Hemric

    AJ ALLMENDINGER
    No. 16 Campers Inn RV Camaro ZL1

    • AJ Allmendinger qualified 15th for the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
    • The No. 16 fired off loose and lacked the stability that Allmendinger had in practice. On lap 16, Allmendinger made an unscheduled pit stop under green for four tires, fuel, wedge, and air pressure adjustments to help with the handling of the car. The No. 16 came off pit road in 38th place and went a lap down. By the end of stage one, Allmendinger was scored in 20th place on the lead lap.
    • During the stage break, Allmendinger came to pit road for a left-rear adjustment. The Campers Inn RV Chevy restarted in 26th on lap 56 and had taken over 22nd on the first lap under green. When the caution came out on lap 70, Allmendinger reported the No. 16 was more comfortable to drive than it was the first run, but he couldn’t be any tighter. Allmendinger came to pit road for right-side tires and fuel, before restarting in 19th with 29 laps remaining in the stage. The No. 16 was involved in a wreck on the back stretch on lap 75 that ultimately ended the day for Allmendinger and the No. 16 Campers Inn RV Chevy. Allmendinger was scored in 37th.
    • “I saw everyone start checking up. I actually saw the No. 21 [Harrison Burton] on the bottom, so I went to go to the middle. Right as I went to the middle, the No. 24 [William Byron] was coming across. It’s just kind of the story of the year: wrong place, wrong time. We missed it at the beginning of the race in our No. 16 Campers RV Chevy. We were really loose, so we lost some track position. We started getting it back and I felt like we kind of got into that 15th to 20th place range that we thought we would be. It’s just disappointing, but it’s part of it. The way the wreck happened, it was kind of out of my control.” – AJ Allmendinger  
    • About Kaulig Racing

    Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time, multi-car NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by award winning entrepreneur, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016, Kaulig Racing™ has earned 23 NXS wins, made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started, and won two regular-season championships. In 2021, the team competed in select NCS events, before expanding to a two-car, full-time NCS team in 2022 and adding a third, part-time entry during the 2023 season. Since its first NCS start in 2021, the team has earned two wins. Kaulig Racing is currently fielding two full-time entries in the NCS and continues to field three full-time NXS entries, with a part-time fourth entry at select events. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.

  • Larson Works Overtime To Win Dramatic Brickyard 400 in Return to Oval

    Larson Works Overtime To Win Dramatic Brickyard 400 in Return to Oval

    INDIANAPOLIS (Sunday, July 21, 2024) – Less than two months separated agony from ecstasy for Kyle Larson at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

    Larson left IMS on May 26 disappointed after finishing 18th in his first Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge start after qualifying fifth and leading four laps in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” On Sunday, Larson stood triumphantly on Victory Podium and kissed the fabled Yard of Bricks after completing a wild climb to an overtime victory in the Brickyard 400 presented by PPG.

    “This is just such a prestigious place, such hallowed ground,” Larson said. “Pretty neat just to get an opportunity to race here on the oval again. What a job by our team. Never gave up at all. We just fought and dug and had things work out.

    “I love all you Indiana fans, and I know you guys love me, too. How about we come back next May and try to kiss these bricks in an Indy car? I think everything comes full circle, and everything’s meant to be. And today definitely felt meant to be for us.”

    Larson, who started fifth, won the race under caution in the No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet on the second attempt in overtime. Pole sitter Tyler Reddick finished second in the No. 45 The Beast Unleashed Toyota. Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney finished third in the No. 12 Menards/Atlas Ford fielded by IMS owner Roger Penske’s team.

    2021 Cup Series champion Larson earned the record-extending 11th Brickyard 400 victory for Hendrick Motorsports on a day in which team chairman Rick Hendrick led the field to the green flag as the honorary driver of the Chevrolet Camaro Pace Car.

    This was the first win on the iconic 2.5-mile oval for Larson, as the Brickyard 400 returned to that circuit for the first time since 2020 after three years on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course at the Racing Capital of the World. But it was the second IMS victory for Larson, who won the Driven2SaveLives BC39 USAC Midget race in 2021 on The Dirt Track at IMS, a quarter-mile dirt oval inside Turn 3.

    Larson’s path to victory was paved by equal parts of aggression and good luck. He drove his way through the field after his last pit stop on Lap 123, slicing up and down the entire width of racing surface to gain ground on the leaders.

    He took advantage of fresher tires than the leaders to reach the top five by passing Denny Hamlin on Lap 148 and climbed to fourth by passing Zane Smith on Lap 149. By then, Larson latched onto the rear bumper of Daniel Hemric’s No. 31 Cirkul Chevrolet. 2018 Brickyard 400 winner Brad Keselowski led in the No. 6 Body Guard Ford, with Blaney second.

    But Keselowski made his previous pit stop on Lap 102, and his fuel-saving efforts appeared to maybe need more caution laps to try and stretch to the finish at the regulation distance. That gamble rolled snake eyes when Kyle Busch’s No. 8 Cheddar’s Patriotic Chevrolet and Hamlin’s No. 11 Sport Clips Haircuts Toyota made side-to-side contact in Turn 3 on Lap 158, triggering a caution that forced overtime.

    As the field lined up to take the green flag for the first overtime restart on Lap 162, Keselowski took the inside lane, with Blaney to his outside and Larson behind Keselowski in third. But Keselowski’s car began to run out of gas, and he dove into the pits. Larson moved from third to first in the restart order in the inside lane and powered past Blaney in Turn 1 on Lap 162, taking a lead he would never lose.

    “I knew the 6 (Keselowski) was probably going to run out if it went green, and at the restart, I couldn’t believe they stayed out,” Blaney said. “I knew there was no way they were going to make it, so I obviously chose the top (lane) because he might run out in the restart zone. And he runs out coming to the green, so he gets to go to pit road and the 5 (Larson) gets promoted. Luck of the day right there, I guess.”

    But there still was more drama. As Larson gapped Blaney in the short chute between Turns 1 and 2 on the restart, a five-car chain reaction collision occurred at the end of the front straightaway and in Turn 1. That triggered another caution and then a red flag lasting 17 minutes to straighten a concrete barrier at the exit of pit road moved by contact in the incident.

    Larson’s car needed a bump start from a tow truck on the front straightaway to restart after the red flag period ended. At the restart on Lap 166, Larson and Blaney made side-to-side contact before Turn 1, with Larson pulling ahead and staying out front down the back straightaway. Meanwhile, the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford of Ryan Preece spun in Turn 2 and was mired in the infield grass in Turn 2.

    The field continued to race under green, with Larson taking the white flag in the lead on Lap 167. Preece tried to drive his car out of the grass but couldn’t due to a flat tire, and the caution flag flew to end the race. Larson had enough fuel to cruise around and take the checkered.

    “With the way the strategy was working out, with Brad running out of fuel and me inheriting the front row and all that, just a lot had to fall into place,” Larson said. “Thankfully it did. I just can’t believe it. It’s surreal to win here.”

    Reddick, who led a race-high 40 laps, passed Blaney on the last lap to take second place.

    The next major spectator event this season at IMS is the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks IMSA sports car event Sept. 20-22 on the IMS road course. Visit IMS.com to buy tickets or for more information.

  • CHEVROLET NCS AT INDIANAPOLIS: Kyle Larson, Chevrolet Take 2024 Brickyard 400 Victory

    CHEVROLET NCS AT INDIANAPOLIS: Kyle Larson, Chevrolet Take 2024 Brickyard 400 Victory

    NASCAR CUP SERIES
    INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
    TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT
    JULY 21, 2024

    Kyle Larson, Chevrolet Takes 2024 Brickyard 400 Victory

    · In the NASAR Cup Series’ return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval, Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson became the next driver to add to Chevrolet’s legacy at the famed 2.5-mile venue – driving his No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1 to the win in 30th anniversary of the Brickyard 400.

    · The victory marks Larson’s fourth trip to victory lane in NASCAR’s top division in 2024 – making the 31-year-old Elk Grove, California, native the winningest driver in the series this season.

    · The trip to victory lane is Larson’s 27th triumph in 352 NASCAR Cup Series starts. This marks the 2021 champion’s third crown jewel victory, with his other crown jewel victories including the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (May 2021) and the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway (Sept. 2023).

    · Larson extended Chevrolet’s series-leading win record on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval configuration to 18 victories in 28 NASCAR Cup Series races – a winning percentage of 64.3 percent at the 2.5-mile oval.

    · Chevrolet now sits at a double-digit win count in NASCAR’s top division this season, with Larson taking the Bowtie brand to its 10th victory in 22 NASCAR Cup Series this season.

    INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (July 21, 2024) – Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1, added to Chevrolet’s legacy at the “Racing Capital of the World” by taking the checkered-flag in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The victory – Larson’s fourth win of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season and his 27th all-time in NASCAR’s top division – comes in NASCAR’s much anticipated return to the track’s famed 2.5-mile oval configuration, marking the crown jewel event’s first appearance in the Next Gen era.

    “What a job by our team,” said Larson. “I mean, never gave up at all. We had the pit stop issue there early on. Just fought, dug and had things work out. Just can’t thank them enough. HENDRICKCARS.COM, Valvoline, Chevrolet, JINYA Ramen Bar, Prime; all the fans, too. I love you, Indiana fans. I know you guys love me, too.”

    Larson added to an already prestigious list of drivers that have taken the Bowtie brand to victory lane at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with the 31-year-old Elk Grove, California, native delivering Chevrolet its 18th victory in 28 all-time NASCAR Cup Series races at the 2.5-mile oval. This isn’t Chevrolet’s first trip to victory lane at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this season. Larson’s victory is the manufacturer’s second crown jewel triumph at the famed oval this season, with Team Chevy’s Josef Newgarden also driving his No. 2 Chevrolet to his second-straight victory in the Indianapolis 500 just a few months ago.

    The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Richmond Raceway with the Cook Out 400 on Sunday, August 11, at 6 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on the USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

    TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10:

    POS. DRIVER

    1st Kyle Larson, No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1

    8th Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Freeway Insurance Camaro ZL1

    10th Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1

    WITH 22 NASCAR CUP SERIES RACES COMPLETE:

    Wins: 10

    Poles: 7

    Top-Five Finishes: 39

    Top-10 Finishes: 82

    Stage Wins: 12


    TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE QUOTES:

    Kyle Larson, No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1

    Finished: 1st

    Kyle, you just won the Brickyard 400. You’ve won some big races in your career. This is Indianapolis. Is this ranked No. 1 now?

    “It’s for sure up there. Like you mentioned, this is just such a prestigious place.. such hallowed ground. Pretty neat to get an opportunity to race here on the oval again.

    What a job by our team. I mean, never gave up at all. We had the pit stop issue there early on. Just fought, dug and had things work out.

    Just can’t thank them enough. HENDRICKCARS.COM, Valvoline, Chevrolet, JINYA Ramen Bar, Prime; all the fans, too. I love you, Indiana fans. I know you guys love me, too. How about we come back next May and try to kiss these bricks in an INDYCAR?”

    Does this make up for the month of May when you left disappointed?

    “It does.. I guess a little bit. I wish we could have got to do both and run the 600. We had a phenomenal car for that race, too.

    I think everything just comes full circle. Everything is meant to be. Today definitely was meant to be for us. With the way the strategy was working out, Brad (Keselowski) running out of fuel and me inheriting the front row; a lot had to fall into place. Thankfully it did.

    I can’t believe it. It’s surreal to win here. Can’t wait to kiss the bricks with my team. Rick Hendrick, who is here; my family, my friends. My parents are here. We’ll be celebrating these next couple weeks.”

    AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Campers Inn RV Camaro ZL1

    Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident in Stage Two.

    Finished: 37th

    Allmendinger on the accident that ended his day early at Indianapolis Motor Speedway:

    “I just saw everyone start checking up. I actually saw the No. 21 (Harrison Burton) on the bottom, so I went to go to the middle. Right as I went to the middle, the No. 24 (William Byron) was coming across. It’s just kind of the story of the year.. wrong place, wrong time.”

    How sketchy was it in the back of the pack?

    “I mean on the restarts, everyone is going to be aggressive because you know that’s the time to make up the most starts. It’s tough to pass. I felt like on our No. 16 Campers RV Chevy, we missed it. At the beginning of the race, we were really loose, so we lost some track position. We started getting it back. I felt like we kind of got into that 15th to 20th place range that we thought we would be. It’s just disappointing, but it’s part of it. The way the wreck happened, it was kind of out of my control.”

    William Byron, No. 24 Valvoline Camaro ZL1

    Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident in Stage Two.

    Finished: 38th

    Byron on the accident that ended the No. 24 Valvoline Camaro ZL1 team’s race early:

    “We got back there in traffic. It seemed like the pit stop sequence didn’t go our way there. The No. 14 (Chase Briscoe) was just being a squirrel back in the pack. He drove up in front of me. I had to lift way off the corner and I got run over. Hate it for our team. We had an amazing No. 24 Valvoline Chevy. We were running there on the right strategy in the top two or three; got back there in the pack and got wrecked. Appreciate everybody at Valvoline, Chevrolet. We had a great car. We’ll go on over the break and try to get some more wins.”

    Is it even more frustrating that it’s the Brickyard?

    “Yeah, I mean it sucks. We put a lot of effort into this race, but we put a lot of effort in every week.”

    Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kleenex 100 Years/Donors Choose Camaro ZL1

    Finished: 11th

    “Our No. 47 Kleenex 100 Years / Donors Choose Chevy was really good. Qualifying was really solid yesterday and that set us up to get points in both stages. The way those cautions fell, we could have done with one less of them. Running in the top-10 there, it sputtered a little bit coming to the white and then the caution came out, so that was a fortunate one.

    All-in-all, happy about our day and good momentum going into the off weekends. We have had a solid month-and-a-half; two crashes late in the race, and a set of top-15s. Other than that, we have been battling for top-10s, so really happy.”

    Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1

    Finished: 31st

    “Bummer of a day. We didn’t really have a very good day going with our No. 48 Ally Camaro. We were pretty fast in clean air, but just really tight in dirty air. We were stuck in traffic there, and getting blocked all the way down the straightaway for 27th was pretty frustrating. We just didn’t need to be that far back in position. We should have been running better than that and eventually the way the strategy and the cautions fell, we got buried there. We had a lot going on and my ass was on fire at one point, so interesting day, for sure.”

    Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Zeigler Auto Group Camaro ZL1

    Finished: 12th

    “It was just hard to keep on the right end of it with fuel strategy and everything, but I think we did a really good job. The yellow caught us off guard, but I think that was the difference maker in us making it. Our No. 77 Zeigler Auto Group Chevy was super strong, and to be able to capitalize from Saturday was big. We put ourselves in a hole, but we were able to claw our way up when it was really hard to pass. We put together a really good day for the No. 77 team.”

    Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Freeway Insurance Camaro ZL1

    Finished: 8th

    “The No. 99 Freeway Insurance Chevy team did a great job with the strategy. Our car wasn’t horrible, we just never had the track position that we wanted to, to show the speed of the car. We needed to be faster on the straightaways. But all-in-all, I felt like we had a decent Chevy. Still have some work to do, but the team executed a great strategy, so we will take it.”


    About Chevrolet

    Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

  • Blaney Leads Ford with Third Place Run at Indianapolis

    Blaney Leads Ford with Third Place Run at Indianapolis

    Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
    NASCAR Cup Series
    Brickyard 400 Post Race | Indianapolis Motor Speedway
    Uunday, July 21, 2024

    UNOFFICIAL FORD FINISHING RESULTS

    3rd – Ryan Blaney

    6th – Todd Gilliland

    7th – Austin Cindric

    9th – Noah Gragson

    16th – Michael McDowell

    18th – Cody Ware

    20th – Justin Haley

    21st – Brad Keselowski

    22nd – Chris Buescher

    26th – Ryan Preece

    34th – Joey Logano

    35th – Josh Berry

    36th – Harrison Burton

    39th – BJ McLeod

    Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Menards/Atlas Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Finished 3rd)

    “It was hard fought. I thought we had a really good shot to win today. I appreciate Menards and Atlas and Ford and the 12 group for putting us in position. Our car was fast and I thought we had really good strategy. We were the front guy of having to save a little bit of gas but I thought we put ourselves in a great spot. I knew the 6 was probably going to run out if it went green. We came to the restart and I couldn’t believe they stayed out. Ther was no way they were going to make it. So I obviously chose the top because he might run out in the restart zone. And he winds up coming to the green so he gets to go to pit road and the 5 gets promoted. Luck of the day right there I guess. I don’t even know what to get mad about. I am mad about losing this race because I thought we were in the perfect position. Once I lost control of the race, obviously I would have been on the bottom, but I thought the 6 would run out in the restart zone or on the back. It stinks to lose it that way. I appreciate the effort. I hate we don’t get to celebrate with Mr. Penske and with everyone from Penske here. That stings a lot. We just have to keep going, that is all we can do.”

    DO YOU SEE ANY WAY TO CHANGE THAT RESTART SITUATION AS LATE AS IT HAPPENED AFTER THE CHOOSE? IS THERE ANY OTHER WAY TO DO IT?

    “Yeah, call it off and rechoose. Because now you promote the third place guy before the second place guy if the leader has problems. That isn’t right. It is just dumb luck. At this race track where the bottom is preferred. I don’t know. I am just upset. That is a heartbreaker. We did everything right today. We were in prime position to win and it just didn’t work out for us. I just got unlucky. I am not going to sleep very good tonight, I will tell you that. I appreciate Team Penske and everybody for the fast car. We have been super fast and it showed again today. It just wasn’t meant to be.”

    Todd Gilliland, No. 38 gener8tor Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Finished 6th)

    “I think our Mustang was really competitive. We were a little tight on exit the whole race, but that is part of it. Our car had good speed when we stayed up there. It was an interesting race. It was hard to pass. We didn’t do good on the strategy for the middle part of the race but then it put us in a position where it worked out for us at the end. Just disapointing a little bit. I was fourth on the last restart and probably should have chose the bottom looking back on it, but that is how it goes sometimes. You live and you learn.”

    Austin Cindric, No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Finished 7th)

    “I did my race team zero favors today with qualifying as poorly as I did putting it in the wall and then speeding on the first pit stop. Good rally by everybody. I felt like our Discount Tire Ford Mustang Dark Horse was quick today, we just had to get it in the right place on the race track. We saved fuel and Brian did the right things with strategy and we earned a good result because of it. I wish it would have gone green there at the end because I think I would have gotten a few more spots with the fuel situation. Overall, a nice reward going into a little break here.”

    Noah Gragson, No. 10 Bass Pro Shops Winchester Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Finished 9th)

    “We struggled at the beginning part of the weekend and definitely grateful to come back. I don’t know officially where we will be with those guys running out of gas off of Turn 4, but we had plenty of fuel. Drew Blickensderfer called a great race and it is always fun to have Bass Pro Shops on the hood. We struggled on Friday in practice and got a little better in qualifying, qualified 21st and we just made progress all day. We got a Stage point in Stage 1. Strategy, you never know when the caution is going to come out, but Drew made some great calls. I had more gas than the rest of them there and for a second I thought it was going to be Nashville 2.0 with a bunch of restarts but we were able to hang on and come out of here unscathed.”


    Joey Logano, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Accident Quote)

    WHAT HAPPENED? “It seems like they were three wide a couple of rows behind me and the wreck caught me, unfortunately. It looks like Hocevar sent it down the center and just kind of stuffed it in there late. That seems like something he has done a lot recently. Unfortunately it caught up to me. He right reared Jimmie into my left rear and nosed our Shell Pennzoil Mustang into the wall. It is a bummer. You come here to Indy once a year and all you dream of is kissing the bricks. My team gave me a great race car and we were the leader of our strategy and that is kind of all you can hope for, to et to the lead of your strategy. And we were going to have a shorter pit stop and we were going to try to gain some spots the restart as a lot of guys were staying out. We could have a shorter stop than them and that is when we were going to cycle back up to the front, hopefully, but we never got to see it through.”

    Josh Berry No. 4 Panini/Caitlin Clark Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Accident Quote)

    WHAT HAPPENED? “I am not entirely sure without seeing the replay. It looked like the 19 got spun out and we were all just stacking and I think I got clipped from behind and turned into the wall. It is an unfortunate end. It has been a tough weekend. Today, our car was really competitive. I was happy with the car. We started in the back and never could get the track position. I had a tough day on pit road too. Every time we got to the top 20 we would get knocked back.”

    WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST EXPERIENCE LIKE RUNNING THE OVAL HERE?

    “It was a lot of fun and honestly I had a good experience today. We passed cars and had a good balance throughout the race. I was happy with it. We needed something strategy wise to go our way to get up front. All in all the guys did a great job. I put us in a hole qualifying but the car was pretty solid today. We have some things to clean up but we will go get ‘em next time.”

  • Toyota Racing – NCS Indianapolis Post-Race Report – 07.21.24

    Toyota Racing – NCS Indianapolis Post-Race Report – 07.21.24

    REDDICK, BELL AND WALLACE EARN TOP-FIVES IN THE BRICKYARD 400
    Reddick leads the most laps from pole and finishes runner-up in Crown Jewel return

    INDIANAPOLIS (July 21, 2024) – Starting from pole and leading the most laps (40), 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick came home second in Sunday’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Reddick had speed all day in his No. 45 Toyota Camry XSE, leading the majority of Stage 1 as cars split strategies throughout the stage and race. Towards the end of the 160-lap race, Reddick faced an issue on pit road, but methodically marched his way through the field in the final 30 laps and was within striking distance of his second win at the “Racing Capital of the World,” on the final restart, but settled for second. With the result, Reddick remains 15 points behind the regular season points lead. The runner-up finish was Reddick’s series-leading 15th top-10 finish of the season and fifth top-10 in a row.

    Christopher Bell and Bubba Wallace also finished the day in the top-five, coming home fourth and fifth, respectively. Both Camry XSEs hung around the top-10 most of the afternoon and converted on solid finishes as cars dove for pitlane over the final few caution flags, to earn their seventh and fourth top-fives this season. The result from Wallace now puts him less than 10 points out of the Playoffs.

    John Hunter Nemechek also had a solid day with his No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE, starting 10th and leading 14 laps in Stage 2, but got caught up in a Stage 3 incident, which resulted in a 29th-place finish.

    Toyota Post-Race Recap
    NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
    Indianapolis Motor Speedway
    Race 22 of 36 – 160 Laps, 400 Miles

    TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS

    1st, Kyle Larson*

    2nd, TYLER REDDICK

    3rd, Ryan Blaney*

    4th, CHRISTOPHER BELL

    5th, BUBBA WALLACE

    23rd, TY GIBBS

    27th, MARTIN TRUEX JR.

    28th, ERIK JONES

    29th, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK

    32nd, DENNY HAMLIN

    33rd, JIMMIE JOHNSON

    *non-Toyota driver

    TOYOTA QUOTES

    TYLER REDDICK, No. 45 The Beast Unleashed Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing

    Finishing Position: 2nd

    Talk us through your race today and those late-race restarts?

    “Yeah, I mean me and Kyle (Larson) just, were the first few cars on that alternate strategy. We had that issue on pit road. I think he had some issue on pit road as well that put him back there. Just didn’t have anything to lose. A great effort by all of us, the car went through the field. Unfortunately, when Kyle got to me and passed me like he did, I wasn’t expecting it. It was really creative, and he continued to catch the rest of the field and pass cars. I wish I could’ve seen that one coming and maybe defended that better. It was a great way to make a pass. It unfortunately means we bring home our Beast Unleashed Toyota Camry second. But good points day. Didn’t score as many as the 5 (Larson), but nonetheless, a fairly-solid points day.”

    CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 Rheem Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

    Finishing Position: 4th

    How was the race today?

    “It was a little bit of a struggle today for our Rheem Camry, but Adam (Stevens, crew chief) and William (Hartman, engineer) and (Chris) Whitenight (engineer) had a great strategy and we were able to run it out of gas and get a good finish out of it. Something to build on and hopefully we can improve after the break and come out strong for Richmond.”

    BUBBA WALLACE, No. 23 U.S. Air Force Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing

    Finishing Position: 5th

    How was your race?

    “We were fifth – what a day. I just did not do a good job on Friday and Saturday and set us behind for track position. I really didn’t know what our car had, but I knew the people we had on it and that is what matters the most. I appreciate Bootie (Barker, crew chief) and the gang for just giving me a car to work with. The No. 23 U.S. Air Force Toyota Camry was really, really fast. It felt really good. After a few laps, I was like, I don’t know what we have – but it is good to be back on the oval. The finish is making my mood better, but it was really difficult to pass. All-in-all, a good day. A good points day.”

    JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK, No. 42 Pye Barker Fire & Safety Toyota Camry XSE, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB

    Finishing Position: 29th

    Walk us through what happened on that incident?

    “I changed lanes there after the start/finish line, went to the bottom. I had a pretty good run. Everyone started checking up going into (turn) one. I checked up and I think I got hooked in the left rear here. Not really sure, moved down and I think Daniel (Hemric) got me. It stinks. Our Pye Barker Toyota Camry XSE was really fast today. We led laps. Not leading laps just in a speedway race, actually leading laps there. Proud of all the guys. Proud of the effort. Pye Barker Fire & Safety colors looked really good today. Thank you to everyone. Toyota, TRD (Toyota Racing Development, Inc.). Everyone to keep us safe. That was a really hard hit. But overall, really excited for a couple weeks off after the last few weeks. But, proud I’ve been able to show speed three of the last five weeks. Looking forward to getting back after the break and seeing what we can do.”

    DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 Sport Clips Haircuts Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

    Finishing Position: 32nd

    Are you okay and what happened?

    “I couldn’t see. There was a car coming across the track and I hit him.”

    Why were the restarts so hectic today?

    “It was because you couldn’t pass. Yeah, we’re all just running in a line there and saving fuel. It’s like a speedway race. But you know, we were doing everything we could to get to the finish. Didn’t make it.”

    JIMMIE JOHNSON, No. 84 Carvana Toyota Camry XSE, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB

    Finishing Position: 33rd

    What happened there?
    “I was cruising along on the bottom and got hit in the right rear and got turned into the outside fence at that point. Those restarts are just so aggressive, everybody is pushing to get to the end of the race, and it is go time. Sadly, those pushes didn’t line-up right. I don’t know what started that but something on the outside happened, and they collected me and off and around we went. It was great to be back. Our cars were driving nice all weekend. Unfortunately, in qualifying, we just missed our balance, but very competitive in the race. We drove from 33rd to 17th, and then actually got to 11th there. All-in-all, a strong Carvana Camry, and it felt nice behind the wheel. I’m starting to understand the Next Gen vehicle. I think our group is starting to understand what we need for the cars. It was a great day for us in general. 42 (John Hunter Nemechek) has been in the top-five all day, so hopefully we can have a good finish.”

    About Toyota

    Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships.

    Toyota directly employs more than 49,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 34 million cars and trucks at our nine manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 10th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 28 electrified options.

    Through its Driving Possibilities initiative, the Toyota USA Foundation has committed to creating innovative educational programs within, and in partnership with, historically underserved and diverse communities near the company’s U.S. operating sites.

    For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

  • Herta, Kirkwood Complete ‘Big Day’ For Andretti Global

    Herta, Kirkwood Complete ‘Big Day’ For Andretti Global

    TORONTO (Sunday, July 21, 2024) – Michael Andretti’s raised right arm said it all following the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto at Exhibition Place, and the team owner could have raised two.

    One for Colton Herta, another for Kyle Kirkwood.

    The two drivers gave Andretti Global a win for the first time since last year’s rebranding and its first 1-2 finish in a race since Kirkwood and Romain Grosjean delivered in 2023 at Long Beach.

    Herta ended a 40-race winless drought by scoring his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES race in 799 days, and an Andretti car won this event for the ninth time. Andretti won seven times as a driver, Ryan Hunter-Reay went to victory lane for Andretti’s team in 2012.

    “We needed this so bad,” Andretti said after the race. “We’ve been competitive all year but we just haven’t been able to get the final result.

    “It was a big day.”

    Herta effectively led from start to finish, relinquishing the lead only twice to pit. Officially, he paced 81 of the 85 laps, with Kirkwood following him throughout, including on the stops.

    For the weekend, Herta had the fastest lap in all three practices, won the NTT P1 Award and then he won the race, a feat that is mind-boggling if not unprecedented. It’s believed no driver in the sport’s history has so dominated an event weekend. Herta now has eight career wins.

    “We’ve been knocking on the door to win for so long,” Herta said. “Forty-one starts without a win is a long time, and it’s been disappointing for us. I think we’re a team – Michael is the owner — that demands perfection … (I’m) so happy. The Gainbridge Honda was so fast.”

    The separation between Herta and Kirkwood at the finish line was .3469 of a second, but the driver of the No. 27 AutoNation Honda said he was less concerned with passing Herta than keeping third-place Scott Dixon at bay.

    “Putting us at risk was just not the move today,” Kirkwood said of the team’s approach. “I played a little bit more defense as you probably noticed over the (late) restarts. Super happy with second place. (Finishing 1-2) was the goal today.”

    Kirkwood said Herta earning the pole on Saturday made him “deserving” of the race win.

    Dixon finished third to tie Mario Andretti for the most top-three finishes in series history. Each has 141.

    Behind those three was something of a mess, including stoppage for a multi-car accident in Turn 1 on Lap 73.

    Pato O’Ward was running sixth when he spun his No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet halfway around. At that point, there wasn’t much damage to his car, but there soon was. Worse, he was facing traffic and could see oncoming traffic at speed.

    Marcus Ericsson veered his No. 27 Delaware Life Honda into O’Ward’s car on the left side of the track, but that wasn’t the end of it. Pietro Fittipaldi was the fifth car in line after Ericsson’s contact, and he struck O’Ward’s car with enough force to lift his off the ground. Santino Ferrucci was trailing Fittipaldi, and his No. 14 AJ FOYT RACING/SEXTON PROPERTIES Chevrolet launched, hitting the fence with the bottom of the car before landing on the track upside down.

    Rookie Nolan Siegel and his No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet followed Ferrucci into the crash site, and his car struck O’Ward’s as well. Rookie Toby Sowery then hit Siegel with his No. 51 Global Kartin League/Vuzix Honda of Dale Coyne Racing. Fortunately, no one was injured.

    Just prior to the accident, rookie Kyffin Simpson hit the Turn 8 wall with his No. 4 Journie Rewards Chip Ganassi Racing Honda as Alexander Rossi did in Friday’s practice. Whereas Rossi broke his right thumb, Simpson was not injured.

    Minutes before that, Felix Rosenqvist overshot Turn 3 in the No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda of Meyer Shank Racing and drove into the escape area. Ericsson similarly had to take evasive action.

    Rookie Theo Pourchaire, who was standing in for Rossi in the No. 7 Ryde Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, had contact with fellow rookie Linus Lundqvist (No. 8 The American Legion Chip Ganassi Racing Honda).

    If that wasn’t enough, Team Penske had a disastrous lap with nine laps remaining. Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet) bumped Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 Gallagher Team Penske Chevrolet) into the Turn 5 wall, leading to a penalty and sarcastic applause from McLaughlin as he waited for his teammate to come back around. They were racing for fourth place.

    If that wasn’t bad enough for Team Penske, Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet) suffered a cut tire in the sequence and was forced to pit. Whereas the team had three cars in the top seven at the time, they finished 11th, 12th and 16th as Newgarden later overshot Turn 3.

    All three Penske drivers, plus O’Ward, have had designs on overtaking Palou for the series championship, but those hopes too a big hit as Palou drove from the 18th starting position to finish fourth. Palou extended his series lead over Power to 49 points. Dixon is third, 53 points out. Herta moved to fourth, 57 points behind Palou (No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda).

    The series will take three weekends off as the Paris Olympics are held. The 13th race of the 17-race season will be the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway on Aug. 17.

    Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto Race Results

    TORONTO – Results Sunday of the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto NTT INDYCAR SERIES event on the 1.786-mile Streets of Toronto’s Exhibition Place, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):

    1. (1) Colton Herta, Honda, 85, Running
    2. (2) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, 85, Running
    3. (15) Scott Dixon, Honda, 85, Running
    4. (18) Alex Palou, Honda, 85, Running
    5. (13) Marcus Armstrong, Honda, 85, Running
    6. (6) David Malukas, Honda, 85, Running
    7. (16) Christian Lundgaard, Honda, 85, Running
    8. (22) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 85, Running
    9. (5) Romain Grosjean, Chevrolet, 85, Running
    10. (8) Graham Rahal, Honda, 85, Running
    11. (7) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 85, Running
    12. (9) Will Power, Chevrolet, 85, Running
    13. (24) Linus Lundqvist, Honda, 84, Running
    14. (26) Theo Pourchaire, Chevrolet, 84, Running
    15. (21) Toby Sowery, Honda, 84, Running
    16. (4) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 76, Contact
    17. (14) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, 72, Contact
    18. (11) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 72, Contact
    19. (23) Pietro Fittipaldi, Honda, 72, Contact
    20. (17) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet, 72, Contact
    21. (19) Nolan Siegel, Chevrolet, 72, Contact
    22. (20) Kyffin Simpson, Honda, 66, Contact
    23. (3) Felix Rosenqvist, Honda, 63, Mechanical
    24. (25) Hunter McElrea, Honda, 57, Contact
    25. (27) Sting Ray Robb, Chevrolet, 13, Mechanical
    26. (10) Agustin Canapino, Chevrolet, 4, Contact
    27. (12) Christian Rasmussen, Chevrolet, 0, Contact

    Race Statistics
    Winner’s average speed: 91.568 mph
    Time of Race: 01:39:28.4293
    Margin of victory: 0.3469 of a second
    Cautions: 5 or 15 laps
    Lead changes: 5 among 3 drivers

    Lap Leaders:
    Herta, Colton 1 – 34
    Dixon, Scott 35 – 36
    Herta, Colton 37 – 53
    Dixon, Scott 54
    Ericsson, Marcus 55
    Herta, Colton 56 – 85

    NTT INDYCAR SERIES Point Standings: Palou 411, Power 362, Dixon 358, Herta 354, O’Ward 340, McLaughlin 328, Kirkwood 314, Newgarden 266, Alexander Rossi 265, Ferrucci 231, Lundgaard 229, Ericsson 222, Rosenqvist 221, Armstrong 203, VeeKay 201, Grosjean 199, Rahal 197, Lundqvist 173, Fittipaldi 135, Simpson 133, Robb 121, Rasmussen 109, Canapino 109, Pourchaire 91, Siegel 88, Malukas 82, Jack Harvey 80, Tom Blomqvist 46, Callum Ilott 39, Ed Carpenter 32, Sowery 32, Luca Ghiotto 27, Helio Castroneves 26, Conor Daly 26, Katherine Legge 24, Kyle Larson 21, Takuma Sato 19, Tristan Vautier 12, Colin Braun 10, Ryan Hunter-Reay 6, McElrea 6, Marco Andretti 5

  • PPG Extends Presenting Sponsorship of Brickyard 400 in Long-Term Agreement

    PPG Extends Presenting Sponsorship of Brickyard 400 in Long-Term Agreement

    Logo Unveiled for 2025 Brickyard 400 presented by PPG

    INDIANAPOLIS (Sunday, July 21, 2024) – PPG, a global leader in paints, coatings and specialty materials, announced a multiyear agreement to extend its presenting sponsorship of the Brickyard 400, a crown jewel of the NASCAR Cup Series schedule held annually at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

    PPG also will continue as the Official Paint and Finishing Supplier of IMS as part of the long-term agreement.

    The presenting sponsorship, which began in 2024 with the Brickyard’s 30th anniversary and return to the oval, adds to PPG’s historic legacy with the Brickyard 400. The first seven winners of the Brickyard 400 had their names inscribed on the coveted PPG Trophy.

    As part of the extended sponsorship announcement, the logo for the 2025 Brickyard 400 presented by PPG also was unveiled. The logo incorporates the colors synonymous with PPG and its motorsports involvement, which signify the company’s focus to protect and beautify the world.

    “For more than four decades, PPG has been one of the most trusted, innovative and dedicated partners in motorsports,” said Roger Penske. “We look forward to building on our long-term relationship with PPG and the opportunities that lie ahead as we continue to feature PPG and their commitment to enhancing our communities across INDYCAR and NASCAR and at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.”

    For more than 40 years, PPG also has maintained a partnership across Team Penske’s NASCAR and INDYCAR programs. As part of today’s exciting news, it was announced PPG also returns as a Team Penske partner in the NASCAR Cup Series, serving as an associate sponsor of the No. 2 Ford Mustang driven by 2022 DAYTONA 500 champion Austin Cindric, the No. 12 Ford Mustang driven by reigning Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney and the No. 22 Ford Mustang driven by two-time Cup Series champion Joey Logano.

    “We are excited to build upon our extensive history with Team Penske, INDYCAR and IMS,” said PPG Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Tim Knavish. “To be able to expand and strengthen these relationships speaks to the commitment and success we’ve had together. I look forward to seeing the PPG name on Team Penske cars and at the Brickyard 400 for years to come.”

    Team Penske’s most recent NASCAR victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway came with Cindric at the inaugural race on the road course during Brickyard Weekend 2021 in the No. 22 PPG Ford Mustang.

    PPG works to develop and deliver the paints, coatings and specialty materials that our customers have trusted for more than 140 years. Through dedication and creativity, PPG solves customers’ biggest challenges, collaborating closely to find the right path forward. With headquarters in Pittsburgh, PPG operates and innovates in more than 70 countries and reported net sales of $18.2 billion in 2023. PPG serves customers in construction, consumer products, industrial and transportation markets and aftermarkets. To learn more, visit www.ppg.com.